One of Those Days
by Twenty-Two Cents
Summary: Danny is having a terrible summer day, and a new plot from Vlad isn't making things any better. In fact, it's making things much, much worse. Complete!
1. In Which the Trouble Begins

**Author's Note: The best way to read this fic is to picture it as if it is an extended episode; things just flow better that way. That's the way I intended it to feel, so I'd appreciate it if you let me know how it worked out.**

**Disclaimer- All the awesome characters from Danny Phantom, as well as the episodes they often reference to in my stories, aren't mine. If they were, Clockwork would appear a lot more often.  
**

One of Those Days

It had been one of those days. You know the type; where nothing seems to go your way, and everything that can go wrong, does. It had been exactly that way for Danny Fenton, and he was on his last nerve. The fifteen-year-old boy was upside-down, unable to move, and he would have been shouting if it had not been for the repulsive remains of Nasty Burgers all around him, threatening to slide into his mouth if he dared open it. He kicked his legs as hard as he could in an attempt to free himself, but he was lodged too deep into the dumpster at the Nasty Burger to do anything more than wriggle in futile efforts to escape. A slightly muffled voice from beside the dumpster made its way to Danny's ears, one of which had unfortunately found an open pack of Nasty Sauce.

"Hungry, Fen-_toad_? You'd better be; you'll have to eat your way out if you want to get out of there at all!" laughed Dash Baxter. The sound made the teenage halfa's blood boil. Danny's fists were clenched so tightly that he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. An intense desire to go ghost and escape the bully engulfed him, but a small voice in the back of his mind screamed that it would be incredibly stupid. So the soon-to-be sophomore sighed, immediately regretting it as the sickening smell of fast food garbage assailed his nose. _I'll just wait for Tucker and Sam to give me the all-clear... then I can use my powers to get out of here._ He faintly heard the popular football players' laughter receding into the distance, but he decided it would be smarter to wait and make absolutely sure that no one was there to notice his escape. A few minutes later, his reluctant patience was rewarded with a light tap next to his head and a call from Tucker; "Dude, the coast's clear. They're gone."

Immediately, Danny went intangible and slid out of the dumpster, dropping behind his two best friends and reappearing again. "Thanks guys," he sighed, making a face as he wiped Nasty Sauce out of his left ear. Danny was a terrible mess, with everything from melted cheese to salad dressing covering him from head to toe. "That was really gross. I don't think I want to eat any Nasty Burgers for a very, very long time." He went intangible once more, the trash falling from his body into a heap on the ground. "There, at least that's off me, but it didn't get rid of the smell."

His friends gave him sympathetic looks, resisting the urge to crack a joke at Danny's expense. Instead, Sam suggested, "We'd better get to the town get-together- we're late." _Of course,_ Danny thought to himself. His parents had told him right before he met his friends, and unfortunately Dash, at the Nasty Burger that he'd be grounded if he was late. _Just what I need, more rules to break. Why in the world does the town have to have a get-together anyway?_ He already knew the answer to that was printed on the colorful flyers posted around town that read, "Amity Park Get-Together on Monday! Promote unity in your town by joining in the fun!" but it didn't stop him from wondering what had possessed the mayor to organize this event, and why his parents were making him go.

The three walked away from Amity Park's favorite fast food restaurant, Tucker and Sam walking a bit farther from Danny than they normally would have, because of both the smell coming from him and the furious expression on his face. They knew better than to try to cheer him up when he was this angry. Danny, meanwhile, quietly fumed. This was the third time that week that he had been shoved into something by the school bully. The first two times it had been empty trash cans rolling down a sidewalk, but Dash had seemed to get the idea that it would be much more fun if there was actually trash inside the can. Just because school was out didn't mean that Dash had stopped picking on his usual targets- in fact, it was much worse in the summer because the football star had nothing better to do with his time than to torment the unpopular and throw footballs at passing cars. _I just wish he'd let me meet my friends in peace every now and then!_ Danny thought heatedly, failing to pay attention to where he was going.

_THUNK!_

"Um, Danny, watch out for the door..." said Tucker, trailing off as his friend's head collided with the Fenton Works door.

"Thanks a lot, Tuck," Danny mumbled thickly, gingerly rubbing a large, painful bump on his forehead, "but I think you're a little late there."

The techno geek stepped in front of his half- ghost friend and opened the door for him. "Sorry, dude. I thought you'd see it..."

"Never mind, I should have expected something like this to happen," said Danny darkly, still rubbing his forehead. "It's been one of those days." He pushed past his friends in a high bad humor and stomped up to his room, completely ignoring Jazz's exclamation that he smelled just like their kitchen when Jack attempted to cook. As Danny turned the doorknob to go into his room, he was stopped by an irate voice behind him.

"Why are you late again, son? And why do you smell like..." Jack paused, leaning over his son's head and taking a whiff. "Like Nasty Sauce, cheese, and salad dressing?"

Danny sighed and turned around, facing his father. "Some creep stuffed me into a dumpster," he muttered bad-temperedly, glaring at the ground.

Jack frowned as he looked his son up and down. "Why didn't you whack him with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick or something?"

"Because I left it in my other pants, Dad!" replied Danny sarcastically, his already short temper snapping like a rubber band. "D'you think I always carry around all that ghost fighting junk like you do? I have a life, you know!"

Maddie Fenton chose that moment to walk around the corner, and she happened to overhear Danny. She looked shocked at her son's outburst. "Danny! Don't talk to your father like that!"

"Sorry," Danny mumbled without meaning it, glaring at the ground.

"You know, I think you're having an attitude problem, Danny," Maddie said sternly, standing beside Jack. "Your father and I weren't going to ground you for being late like we said we would because we noticed that you seem to be down and out lately, but since you've chosen to be disrespectful, you're grounded from the computer and phone for a week."

Danny looked up abruptly, indignant. "What!"

"You heard your mother, son," Jack said in a tone warning Danny not to press the matter. "Now you'd better get a shower before you go; we'll meet you there. Hurry up, and try not to be too late. Besides, there'll be fudge!"

Danny fumed as he watched his parents turn and walk down the stairs- or in Jack's case, fairly skip down at the thought of his favorite dessert. Without another word, he spun around and headed for the bathroom to take his much-needed shower. Afterwards, Danny felt refreshed and a bit better, but he noticed to his annoyance that some of the unpleasant smell still clung to him. _Just great,_ he thought with a twinge of annoyance, _but I guess there's not much I can do about that._ As he walked down the Fenton Works stairs, he found his two best friends sitting in the kitchen waiting for him. The trio headed out the front door and began walking to the town park, where the town get-together was being held. Upon arriving, they saw a lot of familiar faces: Their school principal, the mayor, Mr. Lancer, many kids they recognized from school –including Dash Baxter, whom they avoided as soon as they saw- Sam's and Tucker's parents, Danny's parents, Jazz and some of her friends, and-

"WHAT!" cried Danny as he spotted a very unwelcome face among the crowd. "Vlad? What in the world is _he_ doing here? He lives in Wisconsin!"

"I'll bet your dad invited him," Sam suggested darkly as the three of them glared at the billionaire.

"Probably," conceded Danny shortly, not taking his eyes off his archenemy.

"Man, this really isn't your day," Tucker commented as Vlad spotted them and walked casually in their direction, a twisted grin playing at the edge of his mouth.

"Why hello there, little badger. Miss Manson, Mr. Foley, fancy meeting you here as well. Young Daniel never goes anywhere without you, does he?"

Danny glared at the older halfa, his eyes flashing vivid green for a split second. "What do you want, Plasmius? What're you doing here?"

"Ooh, the scary eyes!" Vlad exclaimed, patting Danny's head mockingly in a way that ruffled the teenager's hair. "Might want to control that temper with all these people here, hmm? And why, might I ask, do you smell of fast food compost?"

Danny fought to restrain himself from slapping Vlad's still patting hand away from his head. Instead, he took a large step back to where Vlad couldn't reach him and fixed his hair back into its normal shape. "I asked you why you're here," Danny repeated tersely, clenching his fists and ignoring Vlad's last question.

"And I asked you why you smell of rubbish, but you didn't answer that, now did you?" replied Vlad in a cheerful tone, obviously enjoying himself.

"I so don't have time for this," Danny grated out in frustration, turning away from his archenemy. "I'll kick your butt later when you decide to do something evil or whatever. Just leave me alone until then."

The billionaire raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but that's not nearly as entertaining for me, is it? What if I were to tell you that I only came to give you a hard time?"

Danny studied Vlad for a moment through narrowed eyes, then said slowly, "I'd say you're a bad liar, that's what. You expect me to believe that you came all the way from Wisconsin to annoy me?"

"See there, Daniel, you can use that head of yours when you want to! You _are_ learning from me, aren't you? Indeed, I have not come from my home in Wisconsin merely to irritate you. I have another purpose in mind, and part of that purpose happens to be persuading you to join my side."

"And you think you can do that by making fun of him?" Sam asked, putting a supportive hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Ah, it must be nice to have an encouraging significant other," Vlad commented wryly.

Sam blushed first, and then Danny a few seconds after, when he'd figured out what his enemy had meant. "She's NOT my girlfriend!" Danny yelled, causing several people in the crowd behind them to turn around and stare at him.

"Then why, may I ask, is her hand still on your shoulder?" Vlad asked condescendingly as Sam yanked her arm away quickly, glaring daggers at the older man. "But she is right, I did not intend on persuading you by mocking you. No, I have a better, more convincing intention in mind." As Danny opened his mouth to speak, his archenemy held up a hand. "Ah, look at the time! I have some catching up to do with my old college buddy, Jack. Ta!"

The three teenagers watched the billionaire walk briskly back into the crowd. Tucker glared in his direction. "What a creep."

"Yeah, he is," agreed Sam hotly, her cheeks still burining red. "Imagine anyone thinking Danny and I are going out!"

Turning to look from Sam to Danny and back again, Tucker sniggered loudly, trying and failing to hide it behind a cough. "Yeah, imagine that!"

Sam looked as if she were about to give Tucker a piece of her mind, but Danny spoke first, looking quite perplexed. "Guys, what d'you think Vlad's up to this time? He's got that cocky look he always has when he thinks he's come up with the greatest plan ever to either win me over or kill me."

"Well, at least he can't do both at once," Tucker said, and Sam used this as an excuse to elbow him hard in the side.

"Are you ever serious?" she fumed, glaring at her techno geek friend.

"It's okay, Sam," Danny said in a soft but intense tone that quieted the both of them instantly. "We've just got to keep an eye on Plasmius- that's all that matters right now. It'd be a bad idea to let him out of our sight."

"Uh, too late, Danny," stated Tucker as he squinted at the crowd, hoping for a glimpse of his best friend's nemesis. "I think we lost him."

Danny swore angrily, and Sam and Tucker stared at him. Danny never swore unless he was in a very foul mood, and even then it took something really troublesome to set him off. "What are you staring at?" the teenage halfa snapped rudely.

"Hey now," said Tucker, holding up his hands, "no need to start on us!"

"Yeah, it's not like it's our fault this day's been so crappy for you!" Sam pointed out, crossing her arms.

Danny heaved a sigh and stared guiltily at his friends. "I'm sorry guys; I know it's not your fault... I just wish this day would end already. I'm going to fly around the park... both to look for Plasmius and to clear my head. If anyone asks, I'm using the bathroom."

His friends nodded understandingly, and Tucker said quietly, "We're here for you, dude."

"Thanks, guys," said Danny, smiling faintly. _That means more to me than you know_. With that, he headed for the nearest restroom, checked that the coast was clear, and transformed into Danny Phantom with his signature cry of "I'm goin' ghost!" Rising into the air, he turned intangible and invisible and flew through the restroom's ceiling, hovering undetectably above the crowd in search of his arch-nemesis. Danny searched for several minutes and couldn't find a trace of Vlad Plasmius. Deciding to check the more remote areas of the park, Danny faded back into visibility and started to fly forward, still looking down.

He didn't see the blast of ectoplasm headed straight for him until it was too late.

**Poor Danny! This isn't the end of his bad day, though. There's more trouble in store for everyone's favorite halfa... (maniacal laughter). Er, anyway... I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. I'm only planning to have two or three, but then again, this started out as a one-shot, so who knows how long it'll be? Please R & R in the meantime!**


	2. In Which Things Become Much Worse

**Thanks a bunch to you who reviewed the first chapter! Reviews make me happy, very happy indeed. )**

"Gyah!" Danny cried in surprise as he hurtled to the ground and crashed into a park bench, snapping it in half. Looking up, he saw his archenemy floating several feet in the air above him.

"You really should pay more attention to where you're going, m'boy," mocked Vlad. "One of these days, your failure to notice what's going on around you is going to get you into trouble. It's already complicated your life in ways you are most likely still unaware of, especially in your relationship –or lack thereof- with Miss Samantha Manson."

Ignoring the last comment, despite his own curiosity at what his archenemy meant by it, Danny hovered up into the air and faced Vlad. "Why are you still skulking around here, Plasmius?"

"Skulking?" repeated Plasmius, amused. "Hardly. I was waiting for you to get the idea to check the more remote places in the park. Honestly, Daniel, you really can be quite dense at times."

Though he wouldn't dare let on, Danny was stung by Vlad's remark on his intelligence. He knew he could be a bit clueless at times, and he _was_ a 'C' student... but dense? Knowing this wasn't the time to brood over it, Danny glared steadily at Vlad. "Would you just stop avoiding my questions and answer me?"

"Getting impatient, are we? All right, then, I suppose we can move on to the part where I reveal my brilliant, foolproof plan to... shall we say... _convince_ you to join my side."

Danny didn't like the way Plasmius emphasized the word 'convince', but stayed silent until his enemy elaborated. He watched as Vlad held up a small, familiar-looking gadget.

"I'm curious as to whether you remember this little device," he said, twirling the object in his hand.

Danny stiffened visibly. _The Plasmius Maximus?_ He remembered all too well the effects of that particular device, especially since it had almost caused him to be eaten alive by Vlad's mutated ghost pets once.

Noticing his younger enemy's reaction, Vlad smirked and said, "Ah, you do remember it; the Plasmius Maximus! But this version is updated, you see. This one has another setting, which I've been eager to test for quite some time, now."

Before Danny could even think of dodging, Plasmius had pressed the button on the square box in his hand, firing a ray of energy at him. The teenage halfa cried out in pain and shock as the beam from the device forced him to change into Danny Fenton, and immediately back again into Danny Phantom. When he recovered, Danny couldn't help but chuckle dryly; he was still Danny Phantom and didn't feel any different, so whatever Vlad had intended the Plasmius Maximus to do, it obviously hadn't worked. _At least something good happened today._ "Is that it?" he jeered, crossing his arms. "A little shock?"

Much to Danny's surprise, Vlad Plasmius started to laugh. "You don't get it, do you, boy? This version of the Plasmius Maximus does the opposite of what the other did- it keeps you in your ghost form rather than your human form. Only this time, it's permanent." The villainous ghost waited a moment for his words to sink in.

With wide eyes, Danny immediately launched into several attempts to transform back to his human self, failing each time to summon the familiar white rings around his middle. If he were in his human form, he wouldn't have been able to breathe from the rising panic inside him. "P-permanent?" he stammered, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Yes, permanent, with no way to reverse it... except by this same device."

Filled momentarily with hope, Danny dove at Vlad in a desperate attempt to snatch the Plasmius Maximus away from his archenemy. Vlad simply floated aside and used the opportunity to catch Danny off guard with an energy blast from his palm. Watching as the younger halfa crashed to the ground, Plasmius pocketed his invention. "Pathetic, Daniel. Simply pathetic. You actually thought you could best me so easily?" He continued without waiting for a reply from the ghost boy sprawled on the grass, "No, the only way to regain your human half is to swear an oath to join me. If you choose not to do so, well... let's just say that Danny Fenton is as good as dead to his loved ones."

"I'll never join you!" cried Danny as he pulled himself upright, horrified at the situation in which he now found himself.

Vlad Plasmius shrugged. "Your decision, your life. I can't stay around here all day waiting for you to make up your mind, so when you decide, you know where to find me." With that he flew off, leaving a dismayed Danny Phantom behind.

_Oh crap, this is bad! I gotta find Sam and Tucker!_ He rose into the air and took off across the park at a speed well past his normal maximum, almost forgetting to become invisible as he neared the crowds. Hovering just above the crowd as he had before, Danny searched for his two friends. After a minute or two -which seemed more like long hours to Danny- he spotted them near the outer edges of the Amity Park residents. Careful to avoid jostling anyone in the crowd, Danny dove into Tucker, overshadowing him. He pointed to a bench in the distance and whispered to Sam, "Let's go over there." Sam looked at Tucker in confusion, but her expression cleared as she saw that his eyes were an unnatural glowing green color. She followed her overshadowed friend unquestioningly until they got to the bench Danny had indicated. Once they were there, Danny left Tucker and landed beside him.

"What's goin' on?" the techno geek asked, rubbing his head.

"I sorta overshadowed you," Danny explained apologetically. "Sorry."

"You know I hate it when you do that," Tucker grumbled, but a look from Sam silenced him.

"Why'd you bring us all the way out here? Did you beat that crazed-up fruit loop?" the Goth questioned.

Danny shifted uncomfortably. "I, uh... I've got something to tell you guys," he said heavily after an awkward pause, running a hand through his snow-white hair. "I didn't beat Vlad. He had a new gadget on his side this time-"

"Wait, wait," interrupted Tucker, "why are you still in your ghost form?"

"That's just it. Because of Vlad's new invention, I'm stuck as a ghost."

"For how long?" Sam demanded, clearly alarmed.

"Well... permanently."

"PERMANENTLY!" cried Tucker and Sam together

"Yeah, permanently," said Danny miserably. "Unless I agree to join him, that is. Which is never going to happen."

All three were silent for a moment, and then Tucker spoke up again. "There's got to be a way around this. Can't you just... I dunno... tell Vlad you'll join him, get yourself back to normal, smash the thing that did this to you, and live happily ever after until the next time he tries to do something to you?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't you think he'll be expecting that?"

"And I don't think he'd turn me back to normal if I joined him anyway," added Danny. "What use would he have for my human half if he just wants my ghost half for his evil plots?" The mere thought of teaming up with Vlad was enough to push Danny further into his dark pit of a mood. "With my luck, he'd try to separate my two halves and end up recreating my jerky older self."

"Danny, you know that wouldn't happen," Sam pointed out quickly. "You wouldn't let it, especially since you know now what made_ him_ exist."

"I guess you're right," conceded Danny. "But that still doesn't help my problem. In fact, probably nothing will. I'll have to spend the rest of my life -er, more like afterlife- alone as a ghost. Vlad sure thought this one out, all right." Knowing his friends didn't have a solution to offer, the halfa flew into the air. "If anyone asks where I am, just give them the go-around," he said vaguely, abruptly taking off through the sky towards his house.

Flying was always a great way for Danny to relieve stress by simply thinking, but Amity Park was a bit too lively for his tastes at the moment. _Ironic_, he mused, since at the moment he would have given anything to be able to turn back into his alive, breathing, and feeling human self. The only place he could be truly alone, he knew, was the very place that often gave him the creeps; the Ghost Zone. So, making straight for Fenton Works, he turned himself intangible and dove through the floor, into his parents' lab, and through the Fenton Portal.

Immediately after a green flash of light, Danny was surrounded by the floating ectoplasm and empty space of the Ghost Zone, punctuated every now and then with a purple door leading to another part of the real world or the zone itself. Despite being eerie and a bit unnerving, the place was completely silent and offered everything Danny had been seeking- even a small bit of floating chair-shaped rock wide enough for him to sit on. Doing so, Danny Phantom dangled his legs off the rock, staring at the nothingness below them. He suddenly had the urge to scream in frustration, and a brief thought flitted through his mind; _Why not? Who's gonna hear me in this place?_ Taking a deep breath and gathering up all his pent-up stress, Danny closed his eyes and released it, his eyes snapping open moments later as he realized the noise had come out as a Ghostly Wail. Several green sound waves erupted from the teenage halfa's mouth and traveled across the Ghost Zone with a sound much like several ghosts howling, ending about half a minute later. Since he was unable to revert back into a human, Danny just felt exhausted from the effort and slumped weakly against the rock behind him. _So that's what happens when a ghost uses the Wail... But at least I feel a tiny bit better._ He was surprised that everyone in the Ghost Zone hadn't heard his Wail, then again, maybe they had. His suspicions were confirmed when the familiar roar of an engine came from the distance, shattering the former silence and growing louder and louder with each passing second. Danny couldn't tell where it was coming from, so with the last of his energy he pulled himself upright and looked around. After a moment, he spotted the culprit coming at him fast. It was a motorcycle, and on it was Johnny 13. Before Danny could do little more than stare, Johnny pulled up beside him.

"Hey kid, was that your Ghostly Wail that came across the whole Ghost Zone and bothered me and my girl?" he said in a tone of voice that indicated he wasn't very happy to see Danny at all. "This ain't your territory, punk. What're you doin' here?"

"What's it to you?" Danny responded halfheartedly, looking warily under Johnny's bike at his Shadow. It was now dormant, but could be called to fight at the ghost's order. If he had trouble beating it at full strength... well, he didn't exactly want to think about what would happen if he were to fight it now, when he could barely move.

"You lookin' for a fight?" asked Johnny, narrowing his eyes.

Danny shrugged despondently. "No, not really. But if you want to fight, you'll probably win. This isn't my day."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "So the high and mighty Ghost Kid finally has an off day, eh? Forget your Thermos at home? Well, even ghosts li' me have their scruples, and most won't attack an enemy when he's down. So what's your deal, anyway?"

"I'm just as much of a ghost as you are right now."

"That's not so bad. Maybe I'll have to kick your butt after all. But wait, ain't you half human?"

"Yeah, but now I'm stuck permanently as a ghost."

"Permanently? How the heck did that happen?" questioned Johnny, his curiosity aroused and his tough-guy manner temporarily forgotten.

"Vlad Plasmius."

"Mm." Johnny 13 grunted knowingly; everyone in the Ghost Zone knew about the constant hostility between the two halfas. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Danny shrugged again. "I dunno, what can I do? Vlad's the only one who has the device that turns me back to normal, and there isn't any way I can get it back from him."

"You even tried it yet?"

"Well... no. But how can I, especially when I'm having such rotten luck? I can't-"

"Listen, kid," interrupted Johnny, "I of all people should know about bad luck. You think what kinda day you've had's gonna make a difference in how you try to set things right? You can't die if you're a ghost, right? So what can the guy do to ya?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," admitted Danny.

"Dang right I am," Johnny 13 replied without missing a beat. "And besides, even though I hate to say this, when have you ever really lost a battle with one o' us? You've got all this luck on your side, so when you have one unlucky day you just wanna up and call it quits? That's not like the punk kid that's always stuffin' us into that stupid Thermos."

Despite everything, Danny had to smile at the last remark. "Guess that's true, isn't it? Thanks," he added gratefully.

Johnny grunted. "For what, getting you away from your little pity party by telling it like it is? Just go and get yourself back to normal so I can kick your sorry little butt later and not feel bad about it, dig? Later, dude." With that, he sped off into the void of the Ghost Zone, leaving Danny with a renewed sense of purpose.

_What's Vlad gonna do, kill me? With no human half, there's not much he can do at all besides cause me pain._ As much as he disliked the idea of pain, Danny was certainly no stranger to it after having fought the ghosts in Amity Park for over a year._ "_Leave it to Vlad to forget about the obvious stuff like that," he snorted, already in higher spirits. Using the rock to push off, Danny launched himself into a hovering position and stayed there for a moment until he gained his balance, still lightheaded from unintentionally using his Ghostly Wail. After he felt steady enough, he flew across the Ghost Zone, searching for the portal to Vlad's house in Wisconsin. It took only a few minutes for Danny to find and push aside the large purple football blocking his archenemy's portal from sight (or was it only a few minutes? he wasn't sure how much time had passed anymore, since the Ghost Zone could be very disorienting). The words 'subtle as a flying mallet' crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but grin. Bracing himself for what was to come, whatever it would be, Danny flew through the green glow of Vlad's portal... and straight into Plasmius himself.

**DUN DUN DUN... (Sorry for the random end note, but I couldn't resist.)**


	3. In Which the Two Halfas Have a Battle

**I'm so sorry for leaving you with such an evil cliffy! I'd meant to post the next chapter in a few days, but my plot weasel ran away and refused to come back to me, and I had to spend the last month or two coaxing it back into my head where it belongs.**

**Reviewers, my deepest, most heartfelt thanks for being so awesome, and thank you for your patience! )**

As Danny's head collided with Vlad Plasmius' rather solid chest, he gasped and fell backward in surprise, instinctively charging a pair of ecto energy blasts in his hands.

"Ah, Daniel," said Vlad as though he had been expecting the young intruder, "I was wondering how long it would take you to come after me. I had originally guessed it would only take an hour, but you've proved me wrong and taken two. Really, I had thought you smarter than that, but I suppose you aren't. So you've come to join my side, am I correct?"

"Never, fruit loop," Danny snarled, hands still glowing with ecto energy. "Give me the Plasmius Maximus, or... or I'll fight you for it!"

The older, larger ghost laughed mockingly, the sound echoing off the metal walls and flooring of his lab. "You'll fight me for it, will you? Need I remind you, boy, that _I_ am the stronger hybrid here?" He suddenly leaned menacingly into Danny's face, causing the younger halfa to tense and back away slightly with glowing green eyes full of distrust, anger, and determination. "And, to top it off, you don't even know where I've hidden it. Maybe, just maybe, if you can get it into that thick skull of yours that I have the advantage here, this entire encounter can become rather easier than we had both planned. That is, if you've done any planning at all."

Danny cursed mentally at his stupidity as he backed away from his archenemy. He'd just rushed into the fray like he always did; blindly and without any hint of a plan. Feigning confidence that he didn't actually have, he retorted, "What if I don't need a plan to beat you? I've never needed one before now."

"Oh stop the charade, boy; I am fully aware that you have once again blundered into battle without any idea of what you're getting yourself into. And I am also quite aware that you are actually intending to fight me anyway, regardless of your current state. I believe I shall save both of us the time and simply disable you from fighting..." As he spoke, Vlad pulled a square box from his pocket and threw it at his teenaged opponent. Danny, eyes widening in recognition, phased through the floor just in time to avoid being captured by the box and reappeared right behind Vlad, blasting his enemy in the back with his previously charged hand beams. Though it seemed to do little more than cause Vlad to stagger forward a little, the fact that Danny had gotten a hit in at all was encouraging to the young superhero.

"Thought I'd fall for that one, didn't ya?" Danny jeered, hovering back and forth in front of Plasmius in an attempt to bide his time. "I'm not nearly as stupid as you think I am." His little taunt ended abruptly as Vlad's hand shot out and grabbed him around the neck with an iron grasp. Danny found swiftly that he couldn't speak or move, but he thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't in human form and didn't have to breathe. Still, Danny was suddenly aware of how strong a grip Plasmius had as he felt the strong hand choking him.

"No, I think you _are_ quite as stupid as I think you are, Daniel," remarked Vlad as he watched the teenager in his grasp twist about and struggle to free himself with malicious pleasure. "After all, only the son of your idiot father would have pulled a move like that."

Danny's eyes flashed in fury at the jibe at his father, and he tried to take a deep breath, but Vlad simply tightened his grip and stopped him. "Oh no you don't," the sinister ghost sneered, "you will NOT catch me off guard with that infernal Wail of yours."

Danny tried to speak, but the noise that emerged from his mouth sounded more like a painful squeak than anything. He attempted again until he could form a simple sentence, which took most of his concentration: "Wha... what're you g-gonna do..." he croaked, digging his fingernails into Vlad's hand and attempting to pry his fingers off, "kill... me? Not like... you can."

Vlad threw Danny across his laboratory and into the wall on the other side, where the young halfa crashed to the ground, gulping for air out of instinct rather than necessity and massaging his sore neck. "True, I cannot kill that which is not alive, but those in the afterlife can still feel pain... Ha!" His last word was accompanied with a fuchsia blast of ecto energy, which slammed into Danny's middle full-force, blowing him backward into the next room with a loud _BANG!_ "You and your accursed heroics," Plasmius remarked idly, pretending not to see Danny struggling to get back on his feet again. "You and I could be ruling the entire world -along with the Ghost Zone- by now, if you didn't insist on keeping your idiotic role as the 'protector of Amity Park'. After finding that the town hates you despite all that you do, one would think you'd just give it up."

"Then one would think wrong. I can't just abandon my town," replied Danny fiercely as he leaned against a wall. After steadying himself and standing up straight, he managed a smirk. "You know, one would also think that an evil, crazed-up fruit loop would give up after finding that the love of his life will never leave her husband for him, and her son will never join him. Fat chance of that happening, though, right?"

As he spoke, the hero of Amity Park looked desperately around for something –anything- that could aid him. And then he spotted them a few feet away, sitting on a table next to numerous tools and invention parts- the Ghost Gauntlets. Or Vlad's version of the invention, anyway. They were certainly not a welcome sight, and as he stared at the metal gloves, they brought back terrible memories of speaking to a much older, gaunt, and very human Vlad Masters from his former future. The future in which Danny had been his own Ultimate Enemy. When he realized what he was doing, Danny shook himself mentally. _Focus, Fenton, or you won't have a future at all!_ His eyes darted from the gauntlets to the eyes of Vlad Plasmius, which were a brighter and more malevolent red than ever.

"How- how _dare _you, you little rat!" Vlad bellowed, lunging at Danny with an almost insane gleam in his eyes. Danny, much more agile than the older halfa, made a dash for the Ghost Gauntlets and had them over his hands before his archenemy could do anything about it. He moved his fingers about experimentally, then gave a humorless grin.

"How about we even the odds a little, Plasmius?"

Vlad halted in mid-flight, blinking in surprise, but he switched back to his usual dark and frosty demeanor in the space of a second. He clapped his hands mockingly. "Very good try, little badger, but really, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish with _those? _Why, they're not even finished yet! You might just have a better chance if you remove those and put a pair of your idiot father's socks on your hands."

"Oh, I doubt that," Danny replied coolly, casually curling his right hand into a fist. "I know a lot more about these than you might think. And that includes how to use them."

Before Vlad could make any sort of snide remark, Danny suddenly flew at him and aimed a heavy punch at the side of his foe's head. Sneering, Vlad simply stepped aside, hands casually clasped behind his back as if he were having a casual chat rather than dodging a crushing blow from his teenaged opponent. "Daniel, you _must_ be joking. Is that the best escape plan you could think of? Honestly, I'd- argh!" His taunt was cut short as Danny came from behind, having made a sharp turn around as soon as Vlad had dodged his other attack. A metal fist connected with the middle of his back, sending the evil half-ghost backward and creating an optional door -in the form of a gaping hole- to yet another room in the mansion.

Vlad Plasmius rose slowly from the floor, livid. The smoking holes in his house didn't necessarily bother him; he was a billionaire, after all, and could have them fixed within the hour if he wished. No, it was more the fact that Daniel seemed to be infuriatingly persistent in his attempts to best him, and the young halfa's persistence often ended in a stroke of good fortune. Like finding the Ghost Gauntlets, for example. _I always seem to underestimate the boy's uncanny luck, but no matter. Even the best of luck can't always win a battle against a superior. And besides, he doesn't even know the true purpose of those gloves._ Confident as always, Vlad had only to focus his power a bit and his form wavered, splitting into four different Vlads. He smirked at the look on young Daniel's face; the look that told him the boy still hadn't managed to learn duplication. All four forms of Plasmius surrounded Danny.

"Oh crud," Danny muttered to himself right before two Vlads grabbed his arms, attempting to yank the Ghost Gauntlets off his hands as the other two fired ecto-blasts into Danny to distract him. He kicked one of the copies off his left arm and managed to twist around so that the Vlad duplicate holding his right arm was right in the path of the other two Vlads' oncoming blasts. One duplicate winked out of existence with a scream of rage. Facing the other three, Danny held his gloved hands out in front of him, shielding himself from further energy blasts. It didn't take Vlad's copies long to abandon their attempts and rush at Danny, but they halted for the tiniest of moments as claws sprung from the tips of the Ghost Gauntlets.

_He knows how to operate the gauntlets? But how,_ all three remaining duplicates of Vlad wondered at once. This did little to deter him, however, and two of the three duplicates continued their dash at Danny.

_SLASH!_ With identical howls of pain, the other two Vlads dissolved into twin wisps of sinister red smoke, leaving the real one standing dumfounded and alone. Danny advanced on his enemy, the claws of the gauntlets still out and gleaming in the light of a table lamp which, miraculously, hadn't been broken in the fight. "Gimme the Plasmius Maximus," said Danny, green eyes even more vivid than normal. "Now."

"Ooh, the scary eyes! Or you'll what?" Vlad asked condescendingly, keeping his composure despite the slight ripple of doubt that was making its way through his mind. "Rip my ghost and human halves apart? And tell me, m'boy, what do you hope to accomplish by doing that? My ghost half could still overwhelm you quite easily, and then I'd have only to phase back into myself to become whole again. Ah, once again, you show your lack of proper planning. Surrender, and I might kill you quickly instead of forcing you to watch as I murder your father and steal your mother for my own. Or not... who knows? Either way, you cannot defeat me."

"Oh yeah? Then why do you look kinda uneasy?" challenged Danny as he stared at Plasmius. He could see no such thing in his opponent's scarlet eyes, but he figured there might be an advantage to be gained by the bluff. He wasn't disappointed. Plasmius was starting to look distinctly uncomfortable. Tired of the banter between them and encouraged by the upper hand he now had in the situation, Danny grabbed Plasmius with both of the gloves together and yanked his hands apart with an almighty wrench. An unearthly howl and a very human yell of pain came from opposite sides of the room as both Vlad Masters and Vlad Plasmius crashed into opposite walls, two separate halves of a whole.


	4. In Which an Uneasy Truce is Called

Before either of the Vlads could recover enough from the shock make a move, Danny Phantom had darted over to Masters and had one claw of the glove extended over the older man's throat. "Make one move, Plasmius, and I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" asked Plasmius for the second time that evening as he eyed the pair before him calmly. "Kill my human half? Go right ahead; I've no use for him anymore, now that you've separated us! I'm infinitely more powerful now, since I am no longer weighed down by that foolish love for your mother!"

Danny's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. He hadn't been expecting that. "Are you so sure about that?" he asked, casually moving the claw closer to the human Vlad beside him. As he bluffed, the teenage superhero saw a trace of fear in his archenemy's eyes. He looked... _vulnerable_. It was odd, seeing him like this, but Danny had no time to think about it. What he needed to concentrate on was the game he and his most dangerous enemy were playing. And it _was_ just a game, a competition to see who could out-bluff the other. Danny strongly suspected he was losing, and Vlad Plasmius' next comment left him in no doubt.

"You think I care enough about what happens to my weaker half to tell you what I've done with the Plasmius Maximus? I like it this way!" he snarled, his hands suddenly aglow with energy. At this point, Danny was convinced that he really meant it. Plasmius advanced. "Step aside, and I'll do the job myself!"

_Crap, this is really, reeeeally bad- I've only got one more trick to try... _Rapidly sucking in a deep breath, Danny threw his head back and Wailed loudly, with all the strength he could muster. Plasmius was thrown backwards against the wall, and Masters had thrown himself behind Danny, ducking and covering his ears. Danny continued his Ghostly Wail as long as he possibly could, right up until his spectral form started to falter. Startled, he shut his mouth instantly and collapsed onto his knees, breathing hard, human Vlad gaping silently behind him. His arms even felt weak, and the heavy Ghost Gauntlets dropped from his hands onto the floor with a loud clank. Still panting, Danny extended a hand and stared at it, noticing something different; his form was a shade more transparent than it had been a moment earlier. _Uh oh, that can't be good._

Even shaken by the sudden attack as Vlad Plasmius was, Danny's newly weakened state did not escape his observation. After a moment during which both the young ghost and the veteran ghost of twenty years both paused to regain their strength, Plasmius suddenly hurtled toward Danny with a cry of rage, arms outstretched and glowing with ecto-energy. Danny did the only sensible thing he could do under the circumstances; he turned intangible and phased through the floor a split second before Plasmius would've barreled into him. He couldn't see anything, but from the echoing sound his boots made when they hit the hard floor, he was in a fairly large room. Head snapping upward as a crash sounded above him, Danny suddenly felt an odd twinge of guilt. What if Plasmius had –accidentally or not- killed Vlad's human side? Sure, Danny hated Vlad more than any other person he'd ever met... and yeah, he'd love to see the fruitloop locked up in a ghost-proof mental institution. But he was also sure that he would never want to be responsible for anyone's death, even that of his archenemy. An instant later, Danny heard a cry of pain, and a loud curse of, "Oh, donut holes!" He struggled internally for a moment, but his curious side won over, and Danny poked his intangible, invisible head through the flooring, wincing at the effort it took to use his powers.

It wasn't clear what had happened, but it _was_ clear that Vlad's ghost half had definitely been bluffing. He now stood over his unmoving human half, an irritated look on his face. "Fruit snacks," he mumbled, looking at his other half, "If only you hadn't been in the way, hiding behind the boy like a coward! Now I must take you to the hospital, but how am I to get you there without causing a ruckus? Darn you, Daniel!" he roared, and Danny jumped. The boy hidden in the flooring studied his enemy carefully, and was deeply surprised when Plasmius said, "I am not a fool, little badger. I know you are in here; where else do you have to go? Before you try another desperate sneak attack, I have a proposition for you."

Interested, but tremendously suspicious, Danny floated quietly into the room -still invisible- and landed a good ten feet to the side of Plasmius, struggling to keep his invisibility and feeling weaker by the second.

Vlad's malevolent ghost half continued. "You will fly my human counterpart to the hospital and drop him off, feeding them some sort of story about a mugging in an alley, a ghost attack, or something along those lines. In exchange, I will retrieve the Plasmius Maximus, allow you to return yourself to normal, and permit you to go back to Amity Park unharmed... for now."

Danny couldn't help it- he snorted loudly, incredulous. Plasmius whipped around, red eyes searching for the invisible ghost boy. Too tired to continue using his powers, Danny faded back into visibility -still a shade more transparent than could possibly be good- and said sarcastically, "You can't be serious. Let's just drop the stupid lies for a second and get this straight; you don't trust me, I don't trust you. I know you think I'm desperate to be back to normal again, but seriously, I'm not so desperate that I would get you off free and clear and just _trust_ you to keep your word about the Maximus. Not gonna happen."

It soon became clear that what little patience Vlad had was thinning as he snarled, "Then what would _you_ suggest?"

"Give me the Plasmius Maximus _now,_ and I'll take your human half to the hospital as Fenton, complete with the plausible story. It'll look slightly less suspicious if some kid ends up dragging a well-known billionaire into a hospital than if a ghost were to do it, wouldn't it?" Danny saw the disbelieving look on the ghost's face, so he added, "Follow me the whole way if you're that worried I'll try to run off."

"Fine, I will agree to your terms," growled Plasmius, "but know this: the minute something goes awry, I will personally-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Danny interrupted. "You'll personally rip my arms off or something like that. Are we going or not?"

_Insolent scamp,_ thought Vlad's ghost half, shooting a death glare in Danny's direction and teleporting himself out of the room to retrieve the Plasmius Maximus.

Before Danny could so much as wonder where he'd gone, Plasmius was back, the said device in his hand. Danny watched carefully as he tweaked the knob to "0" and pointed it at him. Bracing himself, Danny soon felt the familiar stinging shock that accompanied the Plasmius Maximus. He changed from Danny Phantom to Danny Fenton, and then back again, just as he had a few hours before when Vlad had first shocked him. Even though he was in the middle of being electrocuted, it didn't escape the young hero that his nemesis, though they had reached a temporary and very uneasy truce, seemed to be enjoying the sight of Danny in agony a lot more than could possibly be healthy. He hadn't bothered questioning whether the man was insane or not for a long while, though, so he didn't dwell on it for long. (It's also hard to keep up a coherent train of thought when one is being electrocuted...)

After the shock ended, Danny let some of the pain wear off, and he experimentally turned from Phantom to Fenton, and then from Fenton back to Phantom. Though he was still weak, somehow being able to be human again made Danny feel infinitely better. For the first time that day, he genuinely smiled. He'd pulled it off!

"Are you through congratulating yourself? My human half's looking the worse for wear." Vlad's voice drew Danny out of his mental party and reminded him that his awful day wasn't over yet- he still had a fruitloop to cart to the hospital.

"Yeah, I'm ready," said Danny. "I'll fly him over to the hospital, turn human, and feed the doctors some story, and all the while you can breathe down my neck to make sure I'm doing it right." As soon as he'd finished speaking, Danny flew over to the immobile human Vlad, lifted him from the ground, and turned the both of them intangible, flying out of Vlad's castle and toward the nearest town. Locating the hospital almost instantly, Danny flew down to an alley nearby, turning human once more and dragging Vlad's unconscious form to the hospital doors. He could've sworn at one point he heard a voice nearby hiss, "Be _careful!_"

When Danny burst through the doors, calling for a doctor and trying to look worried, he was relieved of his heavy burden by three nurses, and then peppered with questions.

"Isn't that Mr. Masters, the billionaire?"

"What happened to him?"

"Who are you?"

"First of all, yes, it's Vlad Masters. Second of all, he was attacked by a ghost. The Wisconsin Ghost, if you've heard of him." The nurses just gave Danny blank looks, so he sighed loudly and elaborated. "He's got blue skin, red eyes, black hair, and a white cape. He sorta looks like a vampire, and haunts poor Mr. Masters' castle."

The ladies looked shocked. One of them tittered. "Ghosts? Ghosts don't exist, sweetie."

"Of course they do," snapped a second one. "I've seen the ghost he's talking about. Saw 'im flying through the sky one day while I was at the grocery store-!"

"Anyway," cut in the third nurse, "you haven't told us your name yet."

Danny smiled winningly. "Sorry, I'm Danny Fenton. My parents have been good friends with Mr. Masters since college, and I was visiting him when the ghost attacked." He pasted an innocent, anxious look on his face and asked, "Will he be okay?"

"Of course, dear, don't you worry," the second nurse assured him. "You aren't looking all that well yourself, though. Are you all right?"

Danny glanced at his reflection in the glass of the nurses' office. His hair had lost its normal shape, and was sticking out at wild angles, while his normally bright blue eyes looked dull and tired. Not to mention he still smelled like the dumpster of the Nasty Burger... None of the other aspects of his appearance surprised him, but it felt so long since that morning, when the most he'd had to worry about was getting himself out of a dumpster.

All he said to the nurses was, "I just dragged a man three times my age all the way from an alley and up the steps into here. I'm kinda tired..."

"I'll bet you are," said the first nurse sympathetically. "Now you just wait right over there, and get some rest." She gestured to the waiting area beside the office. Danny nodded once, then walked over and plopped into a chair gratefully. A puff of mist escaped his mouth not a moment later, and he groaned slightly.

"What?" he asked as quietly as possible.

"_I want to know what on earth you were thinking, giving them my description as the ghost who attacked him!_" Plasmius' voice seemed to come from thin air, causing Danny to suspect that his archenemy was right beside him.

Danny rolled his eyes, sure that Plasmius could see him. "Hey, I was just telling the truth! It _was_ you who attacked him. Now if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now."

"Oh no you don't," Vlad Plasmius started, but in a moment, the teenage boy was gone, headed straight for Vlad's portal. The fruitloop sighed darkly, rubbing his temples. He'd been expecting this, but he needed to stay with his human half so they could merge back together as soon as Masters was conscious. In the meantime, however, he would wait and plot, and would figure out another more foolproof plan to win Daniel over. After all, Vlad sincerely believed that it was only a matter of time...

* * *

Danny was back into the Ghost Zone in less time than he had estimated it would take to ditch Vlad and dive through his portal, especially since he hadn't had to outrun Vlad at all. He made it back to the Fenton Portal in record time, flew through and landed up in the hallway, just steps from his bedroom door. Changing back to Danny Fenton and opening it, Danny was alarmed to see his parents sitting on his bed, their arms crossed.

"It's about time you decided to come home, son," said his father calmly. "It's only 12:14 AM, never mind that your curfew is 10:00 PM."

His mother wasn't as composed as Jack. "We were worried _sick_ about you! You just up and disappeared from the picnic, and then we couldn't find you anywhere! When we asked Tucker where you were at the picnic, he said that you were going home to get your things so that you could spend the night over at his house. But when we called Mr. and Mrs. Foley later, they said they hadn't seen you all day. Now how does that work, Danny?"

"Um... it doesn't?" said Danny, too tired to think of an explanation. Unfortunately, his parents demanded one. When he couldn't think of anything at all, they both sighed.

"Son," said Jack, "you're grounded for the next month. You need to learn to be more responsible!" To his and Maddie's surprise, Danny merely smiled and nodded.

"All right, that's fine. I understand. Uh, Mom? Dad? Can I go to bed now? It's been a really, really, _really_ long day."

"Sure, sweetie," said his mother, still surprised at his acceptance. She and her husband rose to leave, giving confused looks to their son. "Goodnight."

"'Night." When his parents had shut the door, Danny whipped out his cell phone and dialed Tucker's number quickly.

"What?" came Tucker's slightly annoyed voice over the phone, slurred with sleep.

"Nice to see you care that I made it out alive, Tuck," Danny laughed sarcastically.

Tucker seemed to wake up a bit more. "Danny? Good to hear from you, man. Sam and me weren't quite sure what to think when you just took off like that."

"Sorry about that. I was in a really bad mood. I'll tell you the details tomorrow, but for now can you do a favor for me and call Sam?"

"Yeah, okay."

"...Guess I'm gonna go. Oh, and Tuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For trying to cover up for me, I mean. Especially since it didn't work out."

Danny could almost hear Tucker grinning over the phone. "No problem. That's what friends are for. See ya tomorrow."

"See ya." Danny hung up, smiling. _Even after a day like today, I can always count on Tuck to cheer me up._ He literally collapsed into his bed, barely taking the time to change into his pajamas. Exhausted, Danny was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

"Hey, Sam."

"Tucker? Why're you calling me at 12:30 in the morning?!"

"Danny wanted me to call you and let you know he's okay."

"Why didn't he just call me himself?"

"You know Danny- he probably fell asleep the second after he hung up with me. He's had a pretty crappy day, y'know."

There was a short pause.

"Yeah, I know. I'll talk to him tomorrow. It's just been one of those days."

* * *

**Yay, everything worked out all right! I know the ending isn't all that good, but I used up all my creative juices just finishing this. Oh, and I've also learned a very valuable lesson; no matter how confident I am that I can finish a story within a week, I will never, EVER, upload a story again before finishing it first.**


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